"I just did CNN, and I just go over and over again, 'We're willing to compromise; we're willing to negotiate,'" he says in the video. "I don't think they poll-tested 'We won't negotiate.' I think it's awful for them to say that over and over again."

McConnell responds: "Yeah, I do too, and I just came back from the two-hour meeting with them, and that was basically the same view privately as it was publicly."

"I think if we keep saying, 'We wanted to defund it. We fought for that, but now we're willing to compromise on this,' I think they can't - we're going to win," Paul says. "I know we don't want to be here, but we're going to win this, I think."

Comments

WHAT?!! WOW! OMG I can't even -- It's time for us to revolt, people. THESE are the people in charge of our country?!!

Posted by: AJ | Oct 3, 2013 2:21:16 PM

No Mr. Paul. And you will lose a lot more than you're bargaining for in the process.

Posted by: Marc C | Oct 3, 2013 2:24:32 PM

What a smart group of people - NOT! It would be laughable, if it wasn't so sad.

Posted by: Matt27 | Oct 3, 2013 2:27:35 PM

The Affordable Care Act *was* the compromise. The Democrats already moved to the right on this and now the Rethugs want them to move even farther to the right.

Posted by: Steve | Oct 3, 2013 2:28:46 PM

It is all manipulation for these neo cons. Paul is a wannabe. McConnell, Boehner and Cantor are the puppet masters of the GOP.

Posted by: Jay | Oct 3, 2013 2:34:39 PM

And this is the problem.

They have to actually "poll test" what they're going to say to news outlets??? Is that how it's being done???

Jezuz H., if this is how they're governing the country, as if it's a Facebook popularity contest instead of actually THINKING and then writing laws that affect people's lives, we're in a lot bigger trouble than I ever thought.

Off to fix a strong drink and re-think staying in this country.

Posted by: johnny | Oct 3, 2013 2:41:57 PM

they're stupid but they're crazy stupid. They knew we'd hear that exchange. yet another transparent attempt to manipulate things so they get their way. Pathetic.

Posted by: Sean | Oct 3, 2013 2:42:24 PM

He started with "I'm all wired up" so knew he was being recorded.

Posted by: Alan | Oct 3, 2013 2:44:04 PM

As much as I hate what the Republicans are doing, I'm missing what so scandalous about this exchange. It's basically two men saying in "private" the same thing they've been saying in public.

Posted by: Rob Tisinai | Oct 3, 2013 2:54:07 PM

It'$ all about maintaining your po$ition with your donor$, when it come$ to politic$.

Posted by: Hey Darlin' | Oct 3, 2013 3:01:28 PM

Don't feed the trolls trying to pass this off as a conscious decision. This story is yielding almost the same comments universally about them knowing they were being recorded because Paul said "I'm all wired up." Don't fall for it. It was an unconscious slip. They're not only incompetent but they are hell bent on destroying this country to advance an agenda that voters have rebuked more than once at the polls.

Posted by: sugarrhill | Oct 3, 2013 3:02:31 PM

I think the comment: "I don't think they poll-tested 'We won't negotiate.' I think it's awful for them to say that over and over again." was Paul talking about the White House.

The Republicans always like to have Frank Luntz field test their dog-whistle talking points first and seem to be amazed that the WH would offer a comment without vetting it with their PR firm first.

Heheh, the poll-appeasing line repeated over and over is "We won't negotiate ... with a gun to our head." I can't tell you how many times I've heard that. Get a clue, Rand Paul. That's a winning soundbite.

And hahahaha,"but we're gonna win this." I don't think so. It's pathetic how now the Republicans will apparently take any crust of thrown bone to save face and call it a win, but they won't even get THAT from a united Democrat front that won't negotiate with a gun to its head. And they can't - or else it will be blackmail crisis government from now on. So Reep What Ye Have Sewn, oh crazed conservatives!

Posted by: Zlick | Oct 3, 2013 4:54:10 PM

You don't negotiate with extortionists. Their demands only get worse.

Posted by: Ken | Oct 3, 2013 5:07:03 PM

Enough is enough, people! Let this be a reminder when going to the voting booth in your state this upcoming Congressional election year. And let's do a Walter White implosion on those Republiturds.

Posted by: Sam | Oct 3, 2013 8:31:35 PM

What's the surprise here? Republicans are snakes, we know this already.

Posted by: ny2.0 | Oct 3, 2013 9:40:53 PM

Un fffnnnbelievable!

These guys should have to answer to this tape while it is played over and over in the media. Everyone should see this.

March on Washington now and shut down the area around the Capitol. Surround the place and block all taxpayer-paid food deliveries and starve these sons-of-bitches until they remove AFA from the table. We need to push to tie these fool's paychecks with the passing of the budget. When the federal employees are furloughed, so should the congress and subsequent loss of benefits during time of furlough! And with congress furloughed, they would have no power and the President can restore budget autonomously - line-by-line.